Missing Someone
by Song Of The Sparrow
Summary: Melissa is upset, but no one knows why, except for Nathan. Jackson and the others are trying to figure out why she's upset, but she won't cave. STORY RELOADED & COMPLETED
1. Out Of Character

Missing someone

Chapter 1

Melissa exited the tent and stretched,_ day 22, _shethought dully, surveying the beautiful island around her. She sighed and started the fire up. A figure approached her and she looked up to see Jackson looking at her, "good morning",she said, giving him a tight smile, ignoring the usual frown on his face.

Jackson looked at her, surprised. _Whats up with her? _He thought in concern, usually she grinned at him and babbled nonstop. Today, today was different, he watched her wondering if he should say something to her but he wasn't sure what.

Melissa abruptly looked up at him, "why are you staring at me?" she demanded harshly.

Taken aback, all Jackson could do was stare at her, " I...um..", was the best he could come up with. He couldn't honestly remember the last time that someone had actually rendered him speechless, but for some reason, Melissa had accomplished just that.

"Well!? Care to elaborate on why you can't form actual words!?" she was screaming now and there were tears running down her face.

"Mel, wha-"

"Forget it, just, forget it," she muttered, her voice dropping, and as soon as the screaming had begun, it stopped. But the tears didn't, they forced their way down her face. Her glare frightened Jackson but he didn't let it show. She finally turned heel and stomped into the jungle.

Jackson just stared after her, "what was that about?" he murmured.

"I know", a voice said from behind Jackson, he turned in surprise to see Nathan standing there with a sad expression on his face, "maybe it's time you did too."

Jackson looked back and forth from Nathan to the place where Melissa had been. "What do you mean by that? He asked in confusion.

Nathan hesitated, knowing that Melissa would kill him for what he was about to tell Jackson. He knew she didn't like people worrying about her and her problems. But Jackson deserved to know what was wrong with her, deep down, she knew that, but she was just to darn stubborn to let other people worry about her.

Chapter 2

"Well?" Jackson demanded, glaring at Nathan, "what's wrong with Mel?"

Nathan nervously ran his fingers through his hair and fidgeted nervously, "sit down," he sighed, "it's long story."

Jackson sat, and then Nathan began, " Melissa was born in China."

"I thought she 'd lived her-" Jackson cut in.

"No. She was born in China. She lived in China until she was 13, the-"

Jackson cut in again, "her parents found a better job in America so that she could go to school with a bunch of-"

"WHAT DO YOU TRULY KNOW ABOUT MELISSA!?" Nathan started yelling, letting his temper get the better of him, he was sick of Jackson thinking he could read everyone like a book, "YOU THINK SHE'S JUST A SPOILED LITTLE PREPPY, WHEN IN FACT, SHE HAS SUFFERED MORE THAN YOU COULD IMAGINE!!"

And with that, Nathan turned heel and stormed off, leaving Jackson (yet again) bewildered and confused. _What is with everyone today?Maybe Melissa will tell me._ He thought and set off to find her.

_Four years, four fricken years and yet I still can't get over it, oh, dad what would you say?_ Melissa thought, still desperately trying to stop the tears that were still emptying out of her eyes.

"Mel?" A voice sounded behind her, Melissa turned her head away from Jackson as he sat down next to her and looked at her with concern, "are you ok?"

"I 'm fine", she replied, still avoiding his gaze


	2. Growing Suspicions

Chapter 2

**I would really like to thank those who reviewed. This is my first time doing anything like this and I was really nervous about how it would go. Thank you, and I'll try to update as much as I can. And just for a heads up, this story will sorta be like the episode where everyone thinks that Nathan and Mel are hooking up, I'll change it up a bit though.**

"Mel?" Jackson asked tentatively. He was little bit nervous, he had never seen Melissa so... unhappy, and... vicious.

Melissa looked at him warily "what"

"Are you, um, well you're acting..." Jackson began, cursing himself as he noticed the steely and defiant look on Melissa's face. _Why won't she tell me anything? _He thought bitterly.

"I'm fine" Melissa's rather controlled voice cut into his thoughts, "I'm just tired, that's all." With a enormous amount of effort, she was able to put something resembling a smile on her face.

"No you're not," Jackson said matter of factly. He got and and brushed the sand from his pants. "When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me." He examined her face to see if he could tell how she was feeling. Melissa's composure slipped for a moment, but then she caught herself and replaced the "smile" on her face with a blank look. Jackson sighed then walked away.

Melissa gazed defiantly after him and then muttered, "I never will be ready to talk" to herself. She heard footsteps behind her and turned her head in surprise. It was Nathan

"Oh Melissa" he said, examining her tear-stained face. He joined her on the ground, and put an arm around her, and letting her cry into his arm.

They sat there, unaware of Eric and Taylor watching them.

"Do you see that?" Taylor whispered to him excitedly, gossip options bubbling up within her "DO you see that?"

"Uh... Nathan and Melissa?" Eric answered hopefully.

Taylor rolled her eyes, "No, you dork," Taylor said with gritted teeth, "them, on the beach, HOLDING each other!"

"So?"

"So!?"Taylor massaged her temples. He was like a block of cement sometimes, she didn't know how the others put up with his complete ignorance. "SO, you fool, it looks very... weird." Eric just looked confused.

As Jackson entered camp, he spotted Daley and Lex talking in hushed tones.

"Hey Jackson," Lex said enthusiastically, he liked the kid, but he wasn't to good at distracting people.

"What's going on?" Jackson asked suspiciously, eyeing them both.

"Nothing!" they chorused, pasting big cheesy false grins on their faces. Their grins however, faded once they saw that it wasn't fooling Jackson, who was glaring at them with his arms crossed. "Jackson..." Daley began awkwardly, glancing at Lex, "have you noticed... anything weird going on with Mel?"

Jackson sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "yeah...yeah I have. Mel snapped at me this morning."

"Wh...what! Mel. Our Mel SNAPPED!?AT YOU! MELISSA WU!" Daley vented, she looked like she was about to hyperventilate.

"That's what I said wasn't it?" Jackson replied coldly.

"Well, did you ask Nathan? They're like, brother and sister." Lex said thoughtfully.

"I did. He started to tell me but..." Jackson trailed off.

"But WHAT!" Daley's face was reddening, and being a red-head, she had no patience for people who took so long to get to the point. Being a red-head, she had no patience for anyone really.

"Calm DOWN!" Jackson snapped, Daley sat back, glowering at him, Jackson ignored her, and continued, "Nathan snapped at me too."

"So what do we do?" Lex asked worriedly

"Well for starters, you could stop talking about me like I'm a emotional basket-case." a hard voice spat from behind them. Lex, Daley, and Jackson turned around in surprise to see Melissa shaking in anger and glaring at them with, was those TEARS in her eyes!?

**Sorry this took so long.**

**PLEASE REVIEW OR I WON'T CONTINUE THIS STORY!!**

**DUNH!**

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	3. Tears

Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! I've decided to finish "Missing Someone" or at least do a lot more work on it before I work on "Sailing Away".**

**Please keep the reviews coming!**

**They are my motivation!!**

_**Review of last chapter.**_

"_So what do we do?" Lex asked worriedly._

"_Well for starters, you could stop talking about me like I'm a emotional basket-case." a hard voice spat from behind them. Lex, Daley and Jackson turned around in surprise to see Melissa shaking in anger and glaring at them with, was those TEARS in her eyes!?_

Melissa glared at them all with menace in her eyes, "So what exactly am I to you all now? No longer a unconfident do-gooder, but the screwed up psycho!?" Melissa's voice cracked again, so she just shut her mouth, folded her arms and stared at them all, blinking rapidly to keep the tears back.

"No Mel, no that's not it!!" Lex cried, he jumped up, ran over to Melissa and wrapped his small arms around her waist. She hesitated for a moment and then hugged him back, trying and failing to keep the tears from streaming down her face. Daley tugged on Jackson's sleeve and beckoning to him that they get out of there.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Daley whispered.

But just then, Nathan came crashing into the campsite looking worried. Pulling Melissa from Lex's grasp and hugged Melissa, whispering to her. Then he snapped his head up and glared at the three, "**WHAT **did you do her!?" he snapped.

Lex teared up, and Daley quickly pulled into a hug. "WE didn't do anything. YOU are making my little brother cry. IT'S your best friend who falling apart!!" Daley hissed.

Melissa looked up and Daley immediately felt guilty. Melissa looked heart-broken, "I'm not falling apart." she said quietly, and then looked at all of them, "am I?"

When Melissa didn't get an answer she shook Nathan off of her and bolted for the forest, leaving her fellow castaways very confused. Except Nathan of course.

He started after her but then turned back to face Daley, "Feel better now?" he asked. He felt an arm stopping him from moving and turned around angrily. Jackson met his angry gaze calmly.

"No."He said quietly. "Let me." and with that, he ran after Melissa.

Nathan sighed in frustration. He cast one more glare at Daley and Lex, and then headed toward the beach.

"Daley..." Lex trailed off. Daley looked down at him, feeling her heart break. Lex's face was red and tear-filled. "What did we do?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing, Lex. We did nothing," Daley whispered to him. As she comforted Lex, she could she see Nathan holding Melissa, she felt something tighten in her stomach. She pushed the feeling away in confusion and tightened her grip on Lex.

Melissa kept running. But since she wasn't a very fast runner and her sobs made it hard to run, Jackson caught up to her easily. He pulled her into his arms and let her cry into his shoulder, tightening his grip on her when she tried to escape him.

He pulled her away from him and tried to look her in the eye, but Melissa kept her eyes shut. Jackson realized that it wasn't the right time to question her. He pulled her to him once again, and whispered comforting words to her.

Finally, Melissa pulled away and looked into his eyes. Jackson all of a sudden, felt a strong impulse to kiss her, but then she spoke, "Please, Jackson. I'm not ready to tell you...not...not yet."

Nathan walked into the clearing. He put an arm around around her, leading her away from Jackson, Melissa sent one more pleading look in Jackson's direction, then followed Nathan. Jackson kicked a rock, and then headed back to camp. Still wondering what was wrong with Melissa.

**I welcome ideas for how you think should the next chapter should go in a review. Hint. Hint!**


	4. A Promise

Chapter 4

_**A few days have past. Nathan is spending most of his time with Melissa. The others are still quite worried about her, especially Jackson. **_

_**And Taylor is still very suspicious about the two of them.**_

"You need to apologize." Melissa said thoughtfully. She and Nathan were collecting firewood.

"About what?" Nathan demanded defensively, "and to WHO?" She giggled as he looked at her with suspicion, his affro flopping into his eyes.

"Ah-ha!" Nathan said triumphantly, "a smile! I haven't seen one of THOSE lately." He looked at her pointedly. His expression fell as he saw the look on Melissa's face.

"Mel..." Nathan stopped her and looked into her eyes. "Are you going to avoid this forever? Avoid telling _Jackson_ about this?"

"About what? I don't know what you're talking about" Melissa said, feigning innocence, then bending down to pick up a piece of wood. She smirked at him, then kept walking. Nathan stopped her again and looked at her sternly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Melissa Wu." Nathan informed her. "Tell Jackson by tonight, or I'll tell him for you." And with that, he scooped the firewood from her arms and strode back to camp. Melissa sat down on a log and moaned, "how in the world am I supposed to tell him?" She muttered.

"Tell me what?" A quiet voice inquired. Melissa swung her head around, jumping up and shifting into a fighting stance.

"Melissa...?" Jackson looked confused, "It's just me." Melissa straightened up and rubbed her arm self consciously as he stepped closer to her. He tilted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eye. He felt the same strong impulse to kiss Melissa again, but he pushed that _very_ annoying impulse and looked at her, "Mel please..."

Melissa stepped away from him, "Jackson, please, I...promise I will tell, I promise. Just, give me time." Jackson looked at her with a hard expression on his face for a moment, then nodded and walked away. Melissa sat down again to calm her racing heart, Jackson had _touched_ her face, and she had seen something strange in his eyes, something that confused her. She held her head on her hands and shut her eyes, but all she could see were Jackson's blue-gray eyes, staring at her intently.

As Nathan entered camp, Taylor, who was the only one in camp stood up and blocked his path.

"Yes Taylor?" Nathan asked warily.

"You and Melissa have seemed kinda, oh I dunno, close-"

"They're isn't any thing going on between Mel and me Taylor." Nathan interrupted.

"Oh, well then, why are you spending so much time together?" Taylor asked innocently.

"Uh...no reason." Nathan replied nervously, "Hey Daley!" he said enthusiastically, walking towards her, "Here , let me help you gather seaweed." He almost ran toward the beach in relief. Daley looked at Taylor in confusion, she shrugged and went back to her magazine. Daley looked at Taylor for a few more seconds, then followed Nathan.

Eric entered camp as Daley left. He looked at her suspiciously, but she just gave him a meaningless smile. As she got up to fix the battery charger, he spoke.

"I want in." He stated.

Taylor looked confused. "In on what?"

"In on the devilish plan you're obviously up to." He raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled and sat down, she patted the seat beside her. He sat down obediently. Taylor told him everything about the weird behaviour between Nathan and Melissa and what she was planning.

"So." She said expectantly, "are you in?"

Eric kissed her cheek, "of course I'm in."

_**So tell me what you think!!**_


	5. A Rumour

Chapter 5

_**I would like to formally apologize to all of my readers for being so demanding for reviews. I'm pretty new at this and I don't want to be writing a story that is just... there on the homepage for F29D. And people who just read and don't review. **_

_**DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME FELLOW AUTHORS!?**_

_**Anyway, on with the story.**_

Jackson was fiddling with the plane's ropes, when Taylor came up to him, looking upset.

"Jackson."she stated, taking a deep breath, "this hurts me... as much as it does you. I mean after all, Nathan and I used to go out."

Jackson straightened up and looked at Taylor warily, "Ok now what?"

"Well," Taylor sighed again, "I hate to be the one to break this to you, but...Melissa doesn't have a crush on you anymore."

Jackson laughed, "and you would know this because?"

"because she and Nathan are...you know."

"In cahoots?"

"BIG cahoots!" Taylor finished. Jackson laughed again, even though he was making it seem like Taylor was crazy, but he was feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of stomach that confused him. He pushed it away and put a look of annoyance on his face as he stared at Taylor.

"So Miss Gossip thinks there's a romance on the island and we should believe her?" Jackson sneered, "after all the rumours you started at school? Ones that weren't true?"

"Look." Taylor said, running her fingers through her hair, "I'm just reporting what I see. I mean they've been inseparable since she got to America two years ago-"

"Wait, hasn't Melissa lived in America for her whole life?" Jackson queried.

Taylor looked at him like he was a raving lunatic, "Uh, no. Duh. Now, as I was saying, I'm just saying that I'm reporting what I see, what everyone is seeing."

"Everyone?" Jackson asked.

"Well, Eric agrees with me." Taylor said defensively.

"You know what? Why don't we stop guessing, and just put on the table?" Jackson gestured toward camp, where Eric, Daley and Lex were sitting. He marched toward camp, Taylor close at his heel.

Melissa and Nathan were laughing and joking around, collecting firewood. Nathan was ecstatic that he got Melissa's mind off of, the incident. He was hoping that he could keep it that way, but the way Jackson wouldn't leave her alone, he doubted that that would be the case.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on between Nathan and Melissa?" Jackson demanded.

"Something is going on between Melissa and Nathan?" Lex asked, thoroughly confused.

"She has been acting kinda strangely lately." Daley stated thoughtfully.

"Well...should we ask her?" Lex asked uneasily, looking at Jackson.

"Ask me what?" a quiet voice inquired. Their heads turned to see a very nervous-looking Melissa. Daley, Lex, Taylor, Eric and Jackson formed a half-circle around her.

Lex felt awful looking at Melissa's scared expression. He looked around at the others, who stared at Melissa with searching eyes.

"What's the deal Mel?" Daley asked, her and the others started moving closer to her slowly.

"Wha..what deal, what are you talking about" Melissa stammered, paling as they backed her up, almost with her back to the trees.

"Thats enough Melissa." Jackson snapped, a fierce look in his eyes, he walked over to her and gripped her arm, "I've had about enough with you avoiding telling us what the hell your problem is. What's going on with you and Nathan? Because you're giving us the idea that you and Nathan are in-"

"Cahoots!" Taylor interrupted. Jackson glared at her, then turned his gaze back to Melissa, who was avoiding his eyes.

"Exactly." He finished. Melissa's head snapped up and stared at him with disbelieve.

"WHAT!?" She almost yelled. "What are you talking about."

Jackson gripped her arm tighter, " Don't lie" he advised, "we've seen you together in the past few days, you're inseparable."

Melissa looked away for a moment, then looked back. When she looked at Jackson again he nearly staggered backward, the look on her face was not one he had ever expected to be on her face, a look of pure rage, "There is nothing going on between Nathan and me, she hissed, "Now. Let. Go. Of. My. Arm." Jackson let go of her arm, and stepped back in surprise. Melissa, who was now trembling, Turned heel and ran. Fast.

"Nice going." Daley commented drily. Jackson ignored her and started after her, shocked at how he had handled this.

Nathan stopped him, however, "I think you've done enough" he said quietly.

"Where'd you come from? It doesn't matter, I was an ass. I don't know what came over me. Please Nathan, let me talk to her." Jackson ignored the surprised look that he was being given. Nathan wasn't expecting pleading from him, but nevertheless, he stood back and let Jackson pass.

"Be careful with her," he advised.

"Thanks."

As Jackson ran after Melissa, Nathan thought, _please Melissa, tell him._

_**Tell me what you think!!**_


	6. More Tears & A Explanation

Chapter 6

_**Heres the next chapter guys, and thank you for the reviews!!**_

Melissa kept running, _me and Nathan? Are you KIDDING me? And Jackson?_ She heard a twig snap behind her and tried to speed up but a strong arm grabbed her arm,

"Let...let me go." she sobbed, but Jackson didn't listen. He once again pulled her into a tight hug, nearly crushing her against his chest. He let her cry for a while then pulled her down and made her sit on a log. He forced her to look at him.

"Melissa, I'm your best friend, and..." He trailed off, and looked into her eyes.

Melissa sighed and opened her mouth, "I was born in China," Jackson's mouth dropped in surprise.  
I...what! Do you want me to tell you?" She demanded.

"YES! Yes. I just...I wasn't expecting you to tell me." Jackson raised an eyebrow at her, she looked away and continued talking,

"Everything was great, I had a awesome family, great friends, the teachers were a little strict, but I was happy."

"So what happened?" Jackson interrupted.

"If you interrupt again, I am not finishing this story." She warned. Jackson shut his mouth and raised his hands in surrender.

"Then when I turned 14." She paled at the memory. "SARS hit." Jackson head snapped and he stared at her, _SARS_ he thought, _of course, _he remembered the news two years ago when SARS first hit China.

"Were you...?" Jackson trailed off again, he sensed he was on a very thin ice.

"At the heart of the..._epidemic?_" She looked at him, he nodded at this. "Yeah, I was, I was recruited by the hospital to help out. I lost a _lot_ more people than I helped, I saw my own _Family and Friends_ come through that hospital and _die_." Melissa face was now full of tears, "And then, my own father came into the hospital, and he...he didn't make it." Melissa's tears were winning the battle.

Jackson rubbed her arm encouragingly, "go on." he said quietly.

"I think I got sick with SARS myself after that. My mother gave up then, she moved us all to America that summer, I spent the whole two months in a hospital, resting and learning English." She paused and took a deep breath. "In the end, I lost 32 family members and 27 friends." She laughed bitterly, " During the summer, when my...anniversary comes around, I try to let myself go. But with the plane crash and all this survival crap, I couldn't do it properly."

"Why didn't you tell me, tell us about this?" Jackson asked gingerly, still being careful with what he said.

"Jackson..."She looked up at him, "you know me, I prefer to-"

"Help people with their problems instead of worrying about yourself?" Jackson finished drily.

"Exactly. After I moved from China, I became a different person, a... scared and unconfident person. I'm don't know if I'm able to go back to the person I was." Melissa stared at the ground, her tears still forcing themselves out of her eyes.

Jackson hugged her again, "thank you." He whispered to her, "thank you for trusting me."

Melissa let out a small smile, maybe it wasn't a bad idea to let people in.

_**So guys, give some ideas for the next chapter, in a review!!**_


	7. Shock

Chapter 7

"Mel, we should probably head back to camp." Jackson whispered, honestly, he didn't want to go back. Holding Melissa was sending shivering sensations down his back, but the others were going to get worried. He pulled away slightly, cupping her face, "are you sure you're OK?" she nodded but he knew she was lying, "promise me, you'll TALK to me next time you're upset about your...past."

"O...Ok" Melissa agreed, she tried pulling away, but he held on, she looked up at him confused,

"Don't act strong for the rest of us," He told her quietly, "You're human, don't hide your problems and only worry about the rest of us. OK?"

Melissa sighed and tugged at the necklace around her neck. "Alright, alright." she said, giving in. She pulled away from him rapidly when she heard someone call her name.

Nathan looked at her with a question in his eyes, she walked towards him and nodded. He put an arm around her and lead her away from Jackson. He kicked a stone, then followed them.

Later that night, Jackson was sitting against a tree. He had put his earphones on so the rest of the castaways wouldn't bother him. He didn't actually have his music playing, the harsh Samoan rap would interrupt his thinking. He was feeling bad for Mel. He had been through a lot as well, but it was nothing compared to Mel's past. She had been nothing but nice to him, and he had just assumed she was nothing but a spoiled preppy.

He also had realized that he had feelings for Melissa. He had always had feelings for her. Since she had introduced herself to him. SHE was the reason he went on this trip to Palau. She was the reason he had taken the stupid leadership job...for awhile anyway. SHE was the reason he hadn't exploded at the rest of the idiots. SHE was the reason he had stayed at camp after Eric exposed his secret. And even after she had found out his secret, she had never treated him any differently than before. And yet he had messed up big time after he had discovered that she had feelings for him, he had just told her _maybe_ he would give her a call, but only _after_ they got rescued, and after he tried not to think about how he felt with the situation. But lately, Melissa was the only thing he could think about.

The only problem now was, how did he tell her?

Melissa was also thinking about earlier, she couldn't _believe_ that she had told him about what had happened in China two years before. She hadn't told _anyone_ about that, except Nathan of course. But she had known Nathan for two _years_ before he had found out, and it had been by accident, he had overheard her mother talking about it a couple months ago. She had known Jackson for only two _months!_

She wasn't sure that she told him because she had a crush on him, or because she for him to finally see that not everyone at Hartwell were spoiled preppies, but maybe it was those eyes...they were very easy to get lost in. She let out an exasperated sigh and put her head in her hands. She had climbed up a tree a ways from camp, so she wasn't too worried about being found by her camp mates, she up a_ tree_ for gods sake. All of this thinking was giving her a big headache, and she was _really _tired, but she had always been a night owl and with all this on her mind, she doubted that she would even be able to sleep. Plus, Nathan was trying to get her to fess up about what she had told Jackson and there was _no way_ she was going to face Jackson at the moment, she knew he was a night-owl as well.

She was afraid that he would want to talk about what she had said to him today, and truly? She did not want to face him at the moment. _Thats enough_ she thought. Crossing her legs, laying her arms on her legs and pressing her thumb and her forefinger together, she took deep breaths and emptied her mind and she just...let go.


	8. Flirting

**Missing Someone**

Chapter 8

A few days later at sunset, Jackson was thinking about, surprise, Melissa. She had been avoiding him, and avoiding being alone with him. He understood...sort of. He made the assumption that only Nathan knew outside of her family about what had happened in China. He was thinking that Melissa was still in shock from letting someone in so deeply.

He was so deeply in thought that he notice Taylor come up behind him.

"Hey." She greeted coyly, plopping down next to him, "whatcha thinking about." She asked.

"Nothing." Jackson replied, inching away from her, "What are you doing here?"

Taylor just moved closer to him, "Talking to you." She twirled a lock a her blond hair with her finger and positioned herself so that he could see her hips, but he was to busy staring at the sunset to notice.

Taylor was starting to lose her temper, she was bored with Eric, she wanted a challenge. She had gotten tired of Nathan quickly at home, so she dumped him after he lost the election. Lex was a kid. So that left Jackson, she loved the whole bad boy act. It made the short relationship _very_ interesting.

"You know Jackson," she said, laying a hand on his arm, he flinched away from her touch. "We really haven't gotten a chance to know each other very well."

Jackson moved away again, "I wonder why that is." He muttered, he was frustrated with Taylor. He knew girls like her, she would only be satisfied with one guy for two to three weeks before moving on to the next one. He wasn't interested in a relationship, he never had. He was the only one out of his friends who refused to be lulled into that kind of relationship.

"Taylor," he sighed warily, she looked at him expectantly. "What do you want?"

She frowned, that wasn't what she was expecting to hear, she put an entrancing smile on her face, "What do _you_ want?" She asked him, letting her hand slide towards his own.

"For you to leave me alone," Taylor gasped in shock. She quickly recovered and put a fake look of hurt on her face.

"Jackson..." Taylor bit her lip and looked down. Jackson looked at her, impatient that she hadn't taken his very _un_-subtle hint. He nearly laughed at her expression. Nathan and Eric might of fallen for this game of hers, but he sure as hell wouldn't.

She placed her hand on his arm again, and moved closer to him. This time, he didn't try to pull away. He knew there wasn't any point, she would just move closer to him.

"I'm sorry of the way I've acted towards you, I just...The gossips in L.A., my friends, my teachers and my peers all judge my father and my mother on who I talk too."She explained primly, "I don't want to endanger their jobs, so I only talk to people with houses bigger than Hartwell." She looked up at him with fake tears in her eyes. "Please understand..."

She lay her head on his arm, he stiffened up, but she didn't seem to pick up on it. Jackson was too polite to pull away, so he just sat there, not moving, letting his thoughts drift back to...Melissa.

Unnoticed and out of earshot, Melissa watched the two with a heart-broken expression on her face. With the way he had been acting lately, she had started to think that, just maybe he was starting to have feelings for her. _Guess not_. She thought depressingly.

**So...**

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	9. A Rotting Tree

**Missing Someone**

Chapter 9

_**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. **_

_**I've been working on my other stories.**_

Melissa was for once able to keep her tears from spilling over her eyes. She stopped running however, once she got away from camp. She chose a tree that tall and covered was well, so she wouldn't be found by Jackson, who she knew was chasing her...again. She knew guys like him, he was the kind of guy who was only happy when he was rescuing a..._damsel in distress._ She smiled as she quickly climbed up the tree, she smiled. The tree was perfect, it was thin enough that none of the other castaways would be able to climb it...except Taylor...and Lex...and Daley!!

_Maybe this isn't the best tree._ She thought grimly, but she knew that only Jackson and Nathan would care enough about her problems to climb the tree. She suddenly heard something crashing through the bushes, she knew it was Jackson. She climbed faster, cursing as one of her feet slipped on the slightly damp branches.

Jackson entered the clearing, panting. He looked around, confused. He was sure he had heard Melissa come here. He saw a flash of movement and a quiet voice. It was Melissa. He was surprised that such a angelic voice could voice such awful language. He looked up, she was almost desperately climbing up a tree...a very tall and fragile tree.

He noticed the base of tree. He felt panic rush through him, the tree was rotting. Which meant if Melissa got any higher. "MELISSA!" He yelled, his voice almost cracking in worry. She shook her head and kept climbing. He wasn't able to see her very clearly anymore. He yelled her name again, feeling helpless.

Melissa kept climbing, feeling angrier by the second. How DARE he come after her just to tell her he was in love with Taylor. He probably expected her, pushover Mel, not to mind. But she did. The way Jackson had been acting for the past few days, always asking if she was OK, making sure she knew he was willing to listen, or talk to her if she needed it. Sometimes she _felt_ him watching her.

She heard him call her name again desperately. She wondered why he sounded so upset. _Maybe he meant to to tell me about Taylor before this._ She thought shrewdly. But then she discovered why he was so upset. The tree limbs she was climbing groaned. She stopped, uneasy at the sounds the tree was making. She then looked closely at the wood, it was cracked and very wet. It almost looked like it was...ROTTING!

Melissa started panicking, trying to climb down. But it was too late. She heard (and felt) the branches snap, a shrill voice scream. She fell. She was falling past green and brown, smashing down on the hard branches. She slammed down on the somewhat sharp ground. She heard her name being called, she looked around blearily, not too aware of the blood flowing out of her body. The last thing she saw was Jackson's entrancing blue-gray eyes before her world went black...

_**Bah!!**_

_**BANH!!**_

_**BANH!!**_

_**Will Melissa be ok? **_

_**Will she listen to Jackson?**_

_**Review if you want me to update quickly!!**_


	10. Unconsciousness

**Missing Someone **

Chapter 11

Jackson burst into camp, his face tense and worried. He was red in the face and carrying a lifeless Melissa in his arms. Nathan immediately jumped up and ran over to him, his face tightening with worry, as he grabbed Melissa, a little roughly, but only because he was concerned. His dark skin whitened as he noticed all the _blood._

"Wha...what happened?" Nathan asked, hauling Melissa to the tent. Jackson followed him, grabbing the First Aid Kit on the way. Jackson began ripping open gauze pads, and started to dab at her wounds gently. Nathan turned to Jackson again, it looked like he was ready to blame Jackson for her injuries. "What. Happened?" He growled through clenched teeth.

Jackson kept cleaning her wounds, "I'll tell you when everyone gets back to camp." Nathan was about to argue, but the look in Jackson's eyes scared him. They were wide with fear and desperation. So Nathan just continued wrapping and cleaning wounds.

Daley, Lex, Eric, and Taylor entered the campsite, prior to Nathan's loud voice yelling at them to get their bony asses to camp. They entered camp, very confused, it didn't help when they saw Jackson and Nathan exited one of the tents, covered in blood.

Taylor and Daley let out a slight scream, Eric paled, then ran out of camp. A coughing noise could be heard as a sickening smell entered the castaway's nostrils. Lex fell to the ground, closing his eyes and moaning. Daley ran over to Nathan to his delight, Taylor ran over to Jackson to his disgust. Lex stayed on the ground, and Eric kept vomiting.

Jackson pulled out of Taylor grip stiffly. Nathan, however leaned into Daley's hold. Eric re-entered camp a few minutes later, looking sweaty and pale. He kept his eyes averted from the blood on Jackson and Nathan. He took a seat, blankly ignoring Lex, who was now clutching his stomach, lying on the dirt floor. Jackson took the seat next to Eric, no doubt payback for watching his video. Eric blanched at the sight of all of the blood, he took a seat _far_ away from Jackson, who grinned smugly. He narrowed his eyes warningly at Taylor, who seemed to want to come sit with him. Taylor, however, being the hint-taker that we all know and _love_ to hate, ignored him, and came to sit down next to him, attempting to wrap her arm around him.

Jackson was too tired and too worried about Melissa to fight her. He didn't lean into her hold, like Nathan was doing with Daley. Daley and Nathan then realized that everyone was watching them and that Daley's step-brother was _still lying on the ground, HOLDING his stomach like he was in PAIN!! _They blushed and broke apart, Nathan taking a seat next to Eric. And Daley joining Lex on the ground, sweeping him into a hug.

"Alright." Daley stated, getting comfortable, wincing again at the sight of blood on the two boys, "What happened." She was trying to keep calm, but it didn't help that she couldn't see Melissa. "And where's Melissa?" The two boys refused to meet Daley's eyes, panicking everyone even more...except Taylor.

Jackson stared at Taylor angrily, his gaze accusatory. Taylor flipped her hair back and snorted, "What? WHAT!? I didn't DO anything!" Nathan's eyes clapped onto her, his smoky brown eyes unforgiving, silencing her.

"Keep. Your. Voice. Down." He snarled, surprising everyone. He then turned to Jackson. "No one is allowed to talk until Jackson tells me what happened to Melissa." He glared at everyone in turn, daring them to argue. Dearest Taylor once again successfully ignored a hint.

"But-"

"Epp!!"

"You-"

"Eppep!!"

"He-"

"EPEPEPEEPEPEPP!!" Taylor finally leaned back, flipping her hair and 'hrrumping' in disgust. Nathan allowed himself a small, triumphant grin before his expression fell back to that tight, serious, pursed expression. He looked at Jackson, clenching and un-clenching his fists repeatedly.

"Taylor kissed me." Jackson began, sighing heavily. The other 4 castaways looked at Taylor, who had pulled out a nail file and started filing her nails, almost drowning out Jackson's voice. When he made that confession about their moment of lip contact, her pretty, fake face darkened and she turned on Jackson.

"Why'd you tell them we're together!" She snapped, throwing her hands up in the air, " 'Dictator Daley' won't like, let us!" Daley's blush deepened and she looked away. Taylor ignored their glares until Jackson got mad.

"We're NOT together!" He snapped, causing a surprising genuine sad face from Taylor...or what seemed to be a sad face.

Her full lips dropped into a puppydog pout, her eyes grew big and moistened. Jackson sneered and turned back to the others, "Melissa got upset and left camp, not for good," Jackson assured them as they exchanged worried glances. "And I...followed her. And she-"

"Climbed up a tree?" Nathan guessed, his tone weary. Jackson frowned at him,

"Yeah...how'd you know?" Jackson asked.

Nathan raised his eyebrow at him, "I'm her best friend." Nathan sighed, "When Melissa lived in China, she told me that whenever she felt overwhelmed or upset, she'd climb the mountain near her home. She says that being high up always calms her down.

"As I was saying." Jackson said, a little too harshly. "She started climbing a tree that was rotting, and she..." Jackson trailed off, letting the others sum up what had happened.

Nathan looked close to tears. Without a word, he rose and left, heading towards the beach. Lex closed his eyes and moaned again, Taylor sat, folding her eyes and looking defeated and angry. Eric got up quickly and ran towards the forest again, no doubt going to vomit again.

Jackson sighed and left for the tent where Melissa was. She looked peaceful for someone whose body had been mangled by a tree. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arm around her, placing his chin on her head, allowing one small tear to escape his eyelid.

"Please be OK Mel," Jackson whispered, closing his eyes, struggling to keep his tears inside. He had cried once in the duration of being on this island. He wasn't about to become a wimp.

_**I know I was tough on Taylor in this chapter.**_

_**Deal with it, I hate Taylor, I hate all the stories with T/J pairings!!**_

_**Please review, I'm planning to finish this story soon.**_


	11. A Kiss

**Missing Someone**

Chapter 12

_It's been a few days._

_Melissa is still unconscious._

_Taylor is still chasing Jackson._

_Lex and Eric are still shaken from the sight of all that blood._

_Nathan is avoiding everyone, except for Daley of course._

Nathan was seated by the beach, the look in is eye believing there was no hope left. He was watching the beautiful ocean that prevented them from going home, and the mixture of colours that hung just above the water. He was so absorbed in the sunset that he didn't notice when Daley sat next to him, her face concerned.

Daley was nervous to begin with, and it didn't help that Nathan was ignoring her. "Ummm..." She cleared her suddenly dry throat, surprising Nathan. He turned to her, blinking furiously in confusion at her sudden appearance.

"Daley?" He asked, unsure of why she was here. "What are you doing here?" He started panicking, "I was just taking a break, I'll get back to work." He started to rise, but Daley yanked him back down beside her. His brows crinkled in confusion as he looked into her blue eyes searchingly, he saw fear, confusion, and worry. He wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, she leaned into his hold her heart racing faster than ever before. "What's wrong?" He whispered, letting his breath tickle her ear.

"That's the question I'd like to ask you.." Daley informed him, attempting to smile. But the seriousness of Melissa's injuries hung over them, suffocating them. Draining them of any emotion except weariness and sadness.

"Melissa is my best friend." Nathan whispered, his voice cracking and he turned his head away so Daley wouldn't see his tears. But she already knew they were there. She didn't interrupt, just let him continue, or try to anyway. "Only for two years, I know, but still..." He let the idea trail off, unable to explain in words of how worried he was of Melissa.

Daley held him closer, ignoring the tears that had escaped out of his control and seeped into her clothing. They sat there, cuddling, crying together, which actually helped them. It felt good to share their troubles with someone else. Daley was thinking that this was the perfect time to tell Nathan how she felt about him, but she wasn't sure how he would react. And she was still suspicious about his friendship with Melissa.

Nathan opened his eyes and turned to meet Daley's forget-me-not blue eyes. He took her face on his large hands, searching her eyes. Daley's heart pounded against her ribcage as Nathan's face grew closer to her own. She didn't want to ruin the moment, she wanted him to kiss her, _badly_, but she needed to ask,

"Nathan..."She whispered, almost losing herself in those warm brown eyes. He pulled back a little and looked at her questioningly. "Is there...was there anything going on between...you and Melissa?" She blushed and broke eye contact with him.

Nathan looked confused, "Wha...what?" He now looked amused as well. He smiled one of his cocky grins, "Are you, Daley Marin, _jealous _of me and _Melissa_?" He was grinning that smile of his, the one that annoyed the hell out her and sent shivers down her back at the same time.

"Just...answer the question." Daley muttered, her blush getting deeper and deeper. "Do you have...those kind of feelings for Mel?" She persisted, ignoring her common sense, who was telling her to just shut up and leave the subject alone, her instincts were telling her to shut up and kiss him.

Nathan chuckled, and forced her to look at him. "Listen Daley," He began, the amused glint in his eye tugging at the corners of Daley's mouth, no matter how hard she tried to keep her expression solemn. "Melissa is like my sister. I could never," His expression grew disgusted, "EVER think that way about her." His expression fell again, "that's the only reason I've been so closed off, I'm just...worried about her."

Daley stroked his cheek comfortingly, her smile growing as she realized that it wasn't Melissa he was in love with, it was _her!_ She found her face getting closer to his, and his face getting closer to hers. Before she knew it, the gap between their lips was shrinking, and then disappeared...


	12. Awake Again

**Missing Someone**

Chapter 13

Eric watched Nathan and Daley kiss. _Wonderful._ He thought grumpily. He wasn't jealous or anything, it was just going to be annoying with all of their lovey-dovey crap. Also, Taylor was now trying to get with Jackson. _Jackson!_ He thought in outrage, he had had the hots for Taylor since, well forever. She had gone out with almost every guy at school except for him.

He had had enough. Where was she? Probably lazying around, like usual. But he had had enough of her thinking she could do whatever she wanted and no one would protest. That just because she was Taylor Hagan she could do whatever she wanted.

He spotted her lying on a towel by the beach. He marched towards her, feeling his anger mounting. She was lying on a plain, blue towel, wearing a faded pink bikini. She didn't seem to notice that he had come up behind her. Even when he cleared his throat she kept ignoring him. Finally he called her name, "Taylor." She looked up at him, annoyed.

"What?" She demanded. "I'm tanning." She lay back down. When she noticed that eric wasn't leaving, she took off her sunglasses angrily and glared up at Eric, "WHAT1?! I'M TANNING!!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious." He responded coolly, surprising Taylor. She raised her eyebrows, what's your problem?"

"You." Taylor seemed shocked by that, as though no one could ever have a problem with her. "You think that you can always have your way, have any guy, do whatever the fucking hell you want. You think that if things don't go your own way, you can sabotage whoever the hell you want. Well I'm finished. Finished with helping you with your devilish plans, doing your chores, being your _puppet_." Eric was snarling now, his eyes were slits.

Taylor's eyes were wide and innocent, but instead of working magic on Eric, like usual, her usual enchanting blue eyes were somehow...empty. He snorted at her then walked away, leaving her speechless.

Taylor watched as Eric walked away. He had rendered her speechless. He had used to be defenseless against her blue eyes and her full lips. But for some reason, he had resisted her charm for once. She dismissed the idea of him being able to resist her. Eric was probably just tired, he'd be back to normal tomorrow morning.

She sighed, yes, that was it, he was just tired. She lay back down on her towel, readjusting her sunglasses and sighing.

Jackson sat in the tent next to Melissa, holding her hand. He had been in that same position for a few days now, sleeping beside, eating beside her. He had taken a few latrine breaks, but other than that, he hadn't broken physical contact with her. Daley and Nathan understood and kept Taylor away from him, brought him food, and didn't bother him about his chores. He got excited every time Melissa moved at all, his hopes were always crushed however, when Melissa didn't wake up.

He was tracing her white, slender hand, not noticing when her eyes fluttered open. Melissa didn't move, but looked around the tent, confused. Her heart sped up when she noticed Jackson _holding her hand._ She whispered his name quietly,

"Jackson." His head snapped up. She noted that he had large sleeping bags underneath his blue-gray eyes. Heck, even those bags had bags! He looked tense and worried, then the memory came rushing back. The tree snapping, Jackson calling her name, her falling, all that _blood._ In that second, all of the pain inflicted on her body came to her attention, she gasped in pain.

Jackson felt his eyes sting, _she's OK._ He pulled her into a tight hug, forgetting his strength and crushing her into his chest. Melissa gasped again in pain, but Jackson didn't to notice. She wasn't exactly objecting to the affection. She heard footsteps approaching the tent. She looked up to see Eric, Nathan, and Daley entering the tent.

Jackson pulled back from her slightly, opening his mouth to say something, but then he noticed the other three standing there. He blushed and pulled himself off of her. Not that he wanted to, he wanted to convince her that it was her that he was in love with; not Taylor. Then he would kiss her, but saying all of that to her would be hard enough without the others being there.

Melissa raised her eyebrows at Nathan's and Daley's hands, which were joined together. Jackson noticed Melissa staring at something, he turned his attention to what she was staring at. He also raised an eyebrow at them. Eric already seemed to know, but he still stared at the two, almost trying to get them to admit to their newfound relationship, although it was already pretty clear. Nathan and Daley both blushed at their amused expressions.

"Well, well, well." Melissa began teasingly, making them blush harder, "What do we have here?" Her dark eyes were twinkling with amusement, making Jackson's heartbeat speed up.

Eric joined in with the teasing, "Well Ms. Wu. I think we have two rebels, who are breaking Jackson's No-Relationships rule. What, in the name of Mother Earth shall we do?" Eric said, mock pouting, making Jackson and Melissa chuckle.

Nathan and Daley looked over at Jackson anxiously, "Well...Jackson?" Nathan asked, "Is the rule still y'know, in effect?" They waited anxiously for Jackson's answer as Jackson twiddled his thumbs. Finally he looked up at the two of them.

"I'm not the one in charge, that's Daley." He answered calmly. Nathan's and Daley's smiles couldn't have been bigger, and their grins were infectious. Even Jackson cracked a small grin. The throbbing of Melissa's injuries drew another painful gasp, catching everyone's attention. Daley's eyebrows crinkled in concern, "Come on Mel." She and Nathan helped her get up, leading her out of the tent to treat her injuries again.

Jackson sighed and looked in the direction Melissa had gone. He wondered when he'd get the opportunity to talk to Melissa alone. He sighed again and got up, wincing at the stiffness of his muscles and bones. He headed out of the tent and towards the fire pit, and Melissa.


	13. Explanations & A Broken Rule

**Missing Someone**

Chapter 14

Melissa sighed in relief, she had _finally_ escaped Daley and her over-anxious ways. Daley had been fussing over her injuries since she had woken up...so about a day-and-a-half Putting various lotions, poultices, bandages, and creams on her injuries. She was still weak from her fall. It had taken a while to travel to a tree close to the ocean, giving her full view of the sunset. She had to admit, it was because of Jackson that she had escaped Daley's concerned clutches.

_Jackson. _He was so confusing. One moment he ignored her completely, not taking any interest in her life. The next he was confessing the fight that could potentially put him back into juvie. Then he was closed off again, then he wouldn't leave her alone about what was bothering her. He had then been acting like he liked more than a friend. Then he was flirting and then kissing _Taylor!_ He followed her and from what Nathan had told her, he hadn't left her side for more than a few minutes after she fell off the tree.

Melissa sighed again, placing her head in her hands, blocking her view of her surroundings. Taylor had seemed to be the only one not concerned about her. She hadn't spoken to her once, although she had received quite a few death glares from her. When she had first found out that Melissa was awake, she had just said, "Who cares?" The only thing she could think of for her behaviour she refused to think about. She wasn't going to get her hopes up.

Jackson was watching Melissa. He had gotten rid of Daley so that he could talk to her, but he couldn't find the courage to go sit next to her and confess his feelings for her. He was absorbed in taking notice of her delicate features.

So absorbed, in fact, that he didn't notice Nathan come up behind him. "Hey." He greeted quietly so Melissa wouldn't hear him. Jackson turned around in surprise, looking at him questioningly, not wanting to chance speech, just in case Melissa heard him. "I know you're nervous." He stated,

Jackson looked at him, a falsely amused expression on his face, "About what." He whispered back. The obvious expression on Nathan's face told Jackson that he wasn't fooled by Jackson's facade. Jackson's face fell and his shoulders sagged, "What if she doesn't...feel the same way anymore." He whispered, so softly that Nathan had to crane his neck closer so he could hear.

Nathan heard his concern and was shocked. Surely he knew that Melissa _really_ liked him. Nathan clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry." He reassured him quietly, "She still feels that way about you." Jackson grinned, feeling a heavy weight lift from his shoulders. He walked towards Melissa, still feeling nervous.

Nathan watched him go, smiling. Daley came up behind him and slipped her hand into his. He turned his head to meet her sweet tasting lips. He smiled again before leading her away from Jackson and Melissa to give them their privacy.

"Hey." Jackson greeted quietly, surprising her as he sat next to her. She rose her head from her hands and twisted to look at him. Jackson still looked concerned at the bandages wrapped around various body parts. He reddened as Melissa stared at him, waiting for him to say something. She knew he had explaining to her, and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop him.

"Hi." She murmured, turning back to the ocean. He watched her long black hair, a few strands flying in the wind. His fingers itched to play with her hair, just to see if it was as silky as it looked, but instead he concentrated on what to say.

"_Taylor_ kissed _me_!" He blurted out suddenly. Melissa turned to him again, startled. She opened her mouth to reply but Jackson signaled for her to be quiet. He was on a roll and he wasn't sure how long this courage would last. "Taylor started flirting with, and she kissed me. I didn't want her to, but she did. I'm sorry..." He trailed off for a few moments before continuing, "I was ecstatic when I found out you liked me, but I didn't know it at the time. I was trying to avoid thinking about how I felt. I..." Now they were both blushing, Jackson deeper than Melissa, "I really like you." He told her softly, "Now that the no-relationship is annulled, not that I would care if it wasn't. I really want us...I want...you. Jackson broke eye-contact.

Melissa's face lit up in a smile at the confession. But she didn't say anything. When Jackson looked up, nervous, he met her joyful, twinkling eyes. He knew in that moment, what her answer would be. He wrapped an arm gently around her waist as she moved closer to him. He placed his other hand on her smooth face, pulling it towards his own face. Melissa felt her heart banging against her ribcage, she was sure that Jackson could hear it. His rough, scarred hand was pulling her face closer...closer...

Their soft lips finally met. When they pulled apart, Jackson thought immediately that it was the absolute best kiss he had _ever_ had. The smile on Melissa's face assured him that she felt the same way about it. He leaned back onto the tree behind them, pulling her with him. She snuggled against him, ignoring the twinges of pain that shot through her.

Jackson started playing with her hair. He had been right, her hair was as soft as he had imagined. As they both watched the sun sink, Jackson couldn't help but think that although they were deserted on an island, it didn't seem to matter as much any more. Because he knew, with all of his heart, that Melissa had proved it often enough that no matter what happened, she would stick by him, no matter what. And that was the only thing that mattered to him.

_**Alright guys. I'm thinking about doing a sequel, tell me what your thoughts of the ending and if you want me do write a sequel. By the way, don't think that Jackson was OOC. Because I don't feel he was. In this chapter I was portraying him as the self-conscious teenager, afraid of being rejected that he is. Which he is, he just hides it well.**_


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